Selah - A Podcast by Koinonia Fellowship

Pastor Ray Viola
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Selah - A Podcast by Koinonia Fellowship

Pastors Ray Viola and Ben Hiwale go through the Bible line-by-line, precept-by-precept in a series of in-depth teachings. Our prayer for this podcast series is that you would KNOW CHRIST, GROW IN CHRIST, PROCLAIM CHRIST, and bring GLORY TO GOD.

  1. 15 DÉC.

    Good News ... Bad News

    The prophet Ezekiel said in Ezekiel 18:23, “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” The prophet Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3:33, “For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men”. The apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. Lastly, but of course not least, the Lord Jesus said weeping in Luke 13:34, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” In our study today, some people will call God a monster when they read verse 8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”. They cry, how can a God of love, a good God send people to hell? The answer: He doesn’t. Jesus Himself declared in Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”. Hell was prepared for the devil and His angels. So why does man go there? They make a choice. They reject the gospel because they love darkness rather than light. As image bearers of God, mankind possesses the gift of choice. They can choose to heed or ignore the gospel call of God unto salvation (Romans 10:13-16). Moses and Joshua exhorted the Israelites to make a choice (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15). Read Proverbs 1:24-29. From the time that God sought out Adam in the Garden of Eden, to the time of the end of the ages, God is crying out to man. (Genesis 3:9; Revelation 22:17). The great commission of the church is that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”(Luke 24:47). Revelation 21:8 is not saying that “bad people” go to hell and “good people” go to heaven. We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. We are made new creatures and begin to walk in newness of life. We become holy as He is holy. Listen to how Paul describes the life that is changed by faith in Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”. Verses 9&10 are bad news (BC). Verse 10 is good news (AD). Which verses describe your life today my friend? SELAH

    1 h 6 min

  2. 8 DÉC.

    Angels We Have Heard On High

    Holiness at once breeds in our hearts a deep attractiveness and a trembling horror. We find in it something that our souls crave, and yet something that we inherently know we will never have of our own accord. That perfection and purity is something we desire acutely, and yet are certain of its im-possess-ability. Like an injured Olympian, who watches on as another competitor runs and wins the gold medal in his absence, we encounter God’s holiness and find that we cannot look away, and yet cannot look at it square in the face either.    And how the angels produce this same effect on those faithful, simple God-fearing Jews who were shepherding their flock. Every time one of those angelic beings dwelling in the light of the creator would descend to dirty earth, their very presence, though helpful and desiring to bless, would innately inspire fear. Such fear was inescapable, even to the most devout. It was to Mary that the archangel said, “Do not be afraid…” Yes, even Mary - she who was “blessed among women” was stricken with fear at the very presence of the angel.    This great holy revelation, before serving as a source of eternal comfort, inflicts our soul with trouble. Before God’s perfection can be a balm, it must first be a bitter herb. Before it can cure, it must first cut. Is that not the state that we find all the great angels responding to? That their very presence had stricken horror in the hearts of those they were sent to minister to. And that horror had to first be addressed before any healing could be administered. “Fear not” were those ever comforting words, striking down what was natural. Yes, I do say “natural”. To fear the presence of God’s holiness is the first and most natural response. It was the response of many faithful men and women all throughout the Scriptures. The closer one was to God, the more acutely aware they were of the gaping disparity between their own composition and God’s. The more they felt that God’s ‘otherness’ was an unapproachable good - something they deeply desired, yet were certain of its ‘un-attain-ability’.    But on that great Christmas day, the angel found new strength to exhort the fearful to take courage. Not because they had found favor with God on their own, or because their prayer had been heard, but because God, in His sovereignty, had decided to bring good news to men.

    44 min

  3. 1 DÉC.

    The Comings of Christ Jesus

    We now begin our Christmas Series for 2024. We will be using Revelation 21:1-8 as our bases texts, with verse three, “Behold, the tabernacle (dwelling place) of God is with man”, being the main point. The tabernacle of God that is spoken of here is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. On Wednesday nights, we will be looking at the promises of God that refer to the first coming of Jesus Christ.   In prayerful consideration of our series this year, I read a phrase that caught my eye and pricked my heart. “Don’t let Christmas distract you from Christ.” Bear in mind that the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown. This much we do know. He was not born on December 25th. Sorry to inform you of that. There are a lot of different themes and traditions that are going on in our culture this time of year. The vast majority of them have nothing to do with the biblical account of Christ’s birth and the purpose of His birth.   For example, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word Christmas originates from the phrase “Cristes Maesse”, first recorded in 1038, which means the mass of Christ. But the Incarnation of Jesus Christ isn’t about going to mass. It isn’t about Santa and Rudolph and mistletoes. Although the word “Christmas” is never used in scripture, (neither are the words Trinity or Rapture), Christmas is a time when Christians choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But it is much more than celebrating the day of His birth.   Why was Jesus born? According to Scripture, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, or Christmas if you like, is the proclamation of the gospel or good news about how the Father gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sin, that sinners, by Gods grace, by repentance and faith in Him would receive forgiveness of sin, and enter into a relationship with Him of love, hope and joy.    But Jesus spoke of the reason for His first coming for our sin, He actually said much more about the fact that He is coming again a second time in glory, majesty and power to usher in a new kingdom, wherein dwells righteousness. And for those who received Him as Lord and Saviour, this promise of God is stated at His second coming. Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God”. At His second coming, only those who have repented of their sin and received and followed Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will be with joined to and united with Him forever in glory. The beautiful tradition of giving gifts to one another at Christmas is meant to reflect Gods gracious gift of eternal for us. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.   Our prayer for you this year is that the real meaning of Christmas would be much more than a one day event that comes and goes, but a new birth that brings you into fellowship with God.  “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:3, 4). SELAH

    47 min

  4. 24 NOV.

    What's Next?

    Before our presidential election this year, an unbiased conclusion that I drew from listening to the television and podcast pundits on both the left and on the right prior to the election was one of extreme anxiety and great concern if “the other party or wrong candidate won”. Sadly, the levels of anxiety and concern about the outcome of the election were not much different within the church. But then I read this incredible article from Time magazine’s website that stated: “2024 is not just an election year. It’s perhaps the election year. Globally, more voters than ever in history will head to the polls as at least 64 countries (plus the European Union)—representing a combined population of about 49% of the people in the world—are meant to hold national elections, the results of which, for many, will prove consequential for years to come.”   With that thought in mind, I asked myself, and now I am asking you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, of those 64 nations, that consist of nearly half of the planet’s population, where or in Whom does a born again Christian’s peace come from as a result of the outcome of their elections? Where or in Whom does a born again Christians peace come from if they have no choice at all in the outcome?  Almost immediately, I began to think of our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in nations where Christianity is a crime, where owning a Bible or being publicly water baptized or witnessing will land you in prison or cost you your life. Can those brothers and sisters have the peace that the Bible promises if they live in Kabul? Gaza? North Korea? Is the promise of peace only good for the saints who live in the USA if the right candidate or political party wins? Think of answering that question if you were a believer like Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany during World War 2, if you were a believer who was thrown to the lions in the Roman Colosseum, or beheaded along a beach by ISIS radicals because you would not recant your faith in Christ.   I told Lizzy as we were watching the election results, “We do not know who will win the election, but this much I can tell you….we can go to sleep tonight and wake up in perfect peace because tomorrow morning the solar system is going to be running like a clock. Tomorrow morning those waves on the Gulf of Mexico will be flowing the same way that they are tonight. That beautiful sunset that we have seen will be there tomorrow, and it will not depend upon who wins the election, or who is the elected leader of any other 63 nations”.   The basis of my answer is found in Daniel and Revelation. In Daniel chapter 4  in verses 17, 25, and 32, it emphasizes the importance of knowing that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Dan 4:35 adds, And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, we read in Rev 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Read those words again beloved and think of being a Christian in any of those other 63 nations, under any form of government. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men and The Lord God omnipotent reigns. End of discussion.   Beloved, the source and degree of our peace in this life stems from Who we believe is in control of these 5 things: the universe, this planet, this country, this church, and your life. Here are our options: Man, Satan, or The Living God.   Beloved, my message today is far more practical, and far wider and more comprehensive than the political realm in our nation. One is a declaration: as Bible believing Christians, our only source of peace and rest on this crazy planet lies in the fact that our God reigns and that my times are in His hands. And two, is a question: Has the outcome of any election in any nation changed the mission of the church?   In light of the fact that Jesus is coming again, how then should the church be living? SELAH

    56 min

  5. 17 NOV.

    A Fire to Warm and a Torch to Shine

    The Christians are the only light for culture. There is no other hope to brighten up a dark world than for the redeemed of the Lord to rise up and shine. But what does that look like exactly? How does the heat and light of the gospel flood into a cold and dark world?  When the believers prayed for boldness in Acts 4, it wasn’t a simple prayer for a little more courage than they had before. It was a desperate plea to God to help them keep their flame lit. They were faced with a serious problem - Peter and John (their leaders) were threatened by those in power. So they turned to God with one accord and prayed that he might strengthen them to continue to obey and preach the gospel. The result was two-fold. They (1) boldly proclaimed the word of God to the outside world, and they (2) built a vibrant Christian community. In other words, they cultivated a blazing fire around which they gathered with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and they lit a blazing torch which they carried to the outside world. There was a fire to warm them and a torch they shone on the world. When the smoldering embers of their spiritual light were threatened, the Holy Spirit fanned their community and evangelism into a ferocious flame. They had a strong base and a strong attack. They lit themselves and the world.  This community was no ordinary social group. It was characterized by a radical selflessness and profound sense of unity. We find these same words - “selflessness” and “unity” - used in the secular world. But when they are used (or rather, simply mused) in those circles, they are thought of in a much lower grade. An ancient hieroglyphic compared to the vivid picture of an overpriced TV from Best Buy. The selflessness and unity of this Acts 4 community would send shockwaves through the world today. Much like how a caveman might respond to seeing the glimmer of a new 60-inch Samsung. A Christian community, properly set ablaze, will shine with stunning distinction against the bleak communities that the world offers.  In the US Army survival manual, there is a chapter on building a fire. The last sentence of the intro to that chapter says this, “Remember, weigh your need for fire against your need to avoid enemy detection.” Fires provide all sorts of benefits to those who are around them, but they also draw the attention of the enemy. The stronger the fire, the easier the target for the enemy. Thus, the plea for boldness and power, of necessity, accompanies a people who have a well-flamed community. That’s how the light works. It repels the wolves and attracts the sheep. And there are yet many “other sheep that are not of this fold” and Jesus will “bring them also and they will listen to His voice”. So let us inflame ourselves by the Holy Spirit, so as to bring in as many who are fleeing from the darkness as possible.

    58 min

  6. 10 NOV.

    The Only Light for Culture

    With the 2024 election over, you may feel that you have your ‘man’ in the White House. You may feel thrilled at the possibility of the US government over the next 2-4 years. You may feel that a major victory was just won for the sake of the pro-life movement and the Biblical sexual ethic. But don’t rest on your laurels! It is a grave mistake to feel that a political victory is a complete victory. Even if all the right laws were to be passed, Christian Supreme Court Justices appointed, state constitutions re-written for the glory of God, and the Chick-fil-a sauce recipe was leaked… there would still be work to be done. The laurels are not yet complete. They are yet to fully blossom. Don’t rest on a rose bud, you’ll crush it before it blooms and snuff out its glory. Jesus said that the Christian people, those who have been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, are the light of the world. The only hope for a dark world is light. And the only light that exists is that which the Christian carries in his spirit. Too often we forget this glorious truth and think the “light” of God to be housed in some ideal or doctrine. We consume ourselves with talk of laws and policy, as if those legal statutes carry the light of God in them. They do not. They may point to the light, but they are not the light themselves. WE are the light. Those who are born again by the Spirit of God, are alone the light of the world.  Shall we fight and advocate for righteous legislation in our land? A thousand times ‘Yes!’ For when the laws of a nation reflect the glory of God, they clear the skies for the sun to shine. They weed out the garden for the rose to bloom. Any Rochesterian knows the daily slog produced by those long and cloudy wintry months. Our moods swing low, seasonal depression rises as the sun hides. But those occasional February days, when the clouds part and the sun gleams off the perfect white snow - they remind us that there is a sun, that it is warm, and the dreary days will soon end. Righteous laws have the same effect. They clear away the moral and social fog. They warm up the soul and remind us of God - that there is a real moral standard. But they only clear the way for the light to shine clearly. And what is that light which righteous laws make room for? It is the light of the transformed soul. It is the light of the “glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” to which a person has been totally awakened to. If that light does not shine like a “city on a hill”, then what good are the laws? What good is the clearing of the skies if the true light is but a dim whimper of a single candle. LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE! You are the light of the world. No doctrine or law can light up the dark world, but only you! Only the soul that has been transferred from the “kingdom of darkness” and “brought into the light” can emit the light that the world needs. The laws may clear the skies, but you must shine the light. You are the light of the world.

    55 min
  7. You Are Seen!

    3 NOV.

    You Are Seen!

    In Genesis chapter 16, we are introduced to Hagar. She was the Egyptian maidservant of Sarah, wife of Abraham. Sarah suffered barrenness and as a result, she decided to take matters into her own hands. How many of you have ever been tempted to take matters into your own hands, and you just make a bigger mess, instead of giving it to God and placing it in God's hands? Sarah said to Abraham in Genesis 16:2, the Lord has kept me from children having children, go sleep with my slave, perhaps I can build a family through her. Abraham agreed to go along with Sarah's plan, and Hagar conceived a son named Ishmael. Scripture says when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she despised Sarah. And Sarah blamed Abraham. Sarah then mistreated Hagar a and Hagar fled, attempting to escape the difficult circumstances in her life. Hagar is running towards Egypt, where she is originally from, and we know in the Bible that Egypt, is a type of the world. Hagar is running to the world to find solace, but the world only leaves you in a more desperate, more empty and broken place. How many find us running to the world for solace, for an answer? 1 John 217 says this world is passing away. Its system and values, its political systems are passing away. Did you hear that, church? Its political systems are passing away. They are not eternal. God has a greater purpose for us than anything we can find in this world. The world offers you no hope. The world offers me no hope. Those of you watching or listening online, the world offers you no solution, no peace, no hope. It is this reality that the Lord desires for us to let go of this world and reach for the greater purpose for which he created us. We live in a world in which our greatest eyes can never be realized, because God wants us to look towards something else, something far greater and something everlasting.

    56 min

  8. 27 OCT.

    The Grace of Humility

    The apostle Peter exhorts the saints at the close of this letter of 1 Peter with the exhortation to “be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). The Prophet Micah said, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8). Humility within the church family can never be overestimated; Peter had already written to the saints about submitting to government, to the design of God in the marriage covenant, and now he writes about submitting one to another. The opposite of humility is pride. God resists, is actively opposed to the proud. God hates the sin of pride (Proverbs 6:16, 17; 8:13). Pride disturbs and disrupts peace and unity. Oh how we need to guard against pride in any form personally or congregationally. Pride corrupts. Pride defiles. Pride is a glory monger. Pride destroys. Only by pride comes contention. Pride grieves the Spirit of God. Nebuchadnezzar knew firsthand the tragic consequences of exalting himself. He writes, “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (Daniel 4:37). One of the most needed attributes in the local church are people who walk in humility before the Lord, and one another. Humility is the atmosphere that attracts the presence and power of God. It takes grace to submit to one another, but God does give the grace to the person that humbles himself before Him, and all submission is to be done under the mighty hand of God that directs our lives. The Prophet Isaiah said, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). The punchline of Jesus in the teaching of the Pharisee and publican in the temple is this: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14). I believe that this word of humility is a word in season for the church today. In the eyes of God, you are either walking in pride and are about to be abased, or you are walking in humility, and are about to be exalted. “He that hath as ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches” (Revelation 2:7). Selah

    54 min
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Pastors Ray Viola and Ben Hiwale go through the Bible line-by-line, precept-by-precept in a series of in-depth teachings. Our prayer for this podcast series is that you would KNOW CHRIST, GROW IN CHRIST, PROCLAIM CHRIST, and bring GLORY TO GOD.

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